Opponents of Louisiana Medicaid privatization plan drop out
Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Gov. Bobby Jindal's plan to privatize large chunks of Louisiana's Medicaid program appears to have easier sailing after three major health-care groups withdrew their support last week from a coalition set up to fight the revamp. The Coalition to Protect Louisiana's Healthcare was launched last fall as an alliance of hospitals, ambulance providers and doctors groups that questioned aspects of the governor's plan. But last week the Louisiana Hospital Association, the Metropolitan Hospital Council of New Orleans and the Louisiana State Medical Society withdrew from the coalition, citing concessions made by the Department of Health and Hospitals during months of meetings and negotiations. The governor's plan would steer more than 800,000 Medicaid recipients, mostly chidren, into private managed-care plans starting Jan. 1. With private hospitals and the state's largest physician group on board with the governor, the remaining opponents include a few medical specialty groups, including the pediatricians who would be responsible for providing much of the care.